Building Permit Fees in San Francisco, CA (2026)

What common projects cost

Kitchen or bath remodel

$25,000 value, remodel 300 sq ft

$1,429.18

$462.88 building permit + $962.05 plan review + $1.00 state-mandated fee (building standards commission, bsasrf) + $3.25 strong motion instrumentation program (smip) fee, group r

Room addition

$75,000 value, addition 400 sq ft

$2,817.50

$797.75 building permit + $2,007.00 plan review + $3.00 state-mandated fee (building standards commission, bsasrf) + $9.75 strong motion instrumentation program (smip) fee, group r

New single-family home

$350,000 value, new single-family 2,400 sq ft

$8,100.50

$2,033.50 building permit + $6,007.50 plan review + $14.00 state-mandated fee (building standards commission, bsasrf) + $45.50 strong motion instrumentation program (smip) fee, group r

How San Francisco calculates your permit fee

The city charges a building permit fee using a fee table based on project value. Plan review is a separate charge: its own fee table.

The fee table

Project value	Fee
$1 – $500	$206.00
$501 – $2,000	$206.00 for the first $500 + $4.00 per additional $100 or fraction
$2,001 – $50,000	$266.00 for the first $2,000 + $8.56 per additional $1,000 or fraction
$50,001 – $200,000	$677.00 for the first $50,000 + $4.83 per additional $1,000 or fraction
$200,001 – $500,000	$1,402.00 for the first $200,000 + $4.21 per additional $1,000 or fraction
$500,001 – $1,000,000	$2,666.00 for the first $500,000 + $3.63 per additional $1,000 or fraction
$1,000,001 – $5,000,000	$4,481.00 for the first $1,000,000 + $2.93 per additional $1,000 or fraction
$5,000,001 – $50,000,000	$16,211.00 for the first $5,000,000 + $1.55 per additional $1,000 or fraction
$50,000,001 – $100,000,000	$86,181.00 for the first $50,000,000 + $1.74 per additional $1,000 or fraction
$100,000,001 – $200,000,000	$173,272.00 for the first $100,000,000 + $2.82 per additional $1,000 or fraction
Over $200,000,000	$455,407.00 for the first $200,000,000 + $2.82 per additional $1,000 or fraction

Surcharges

State-mandated fee (Building Standards Commission, BSASRF): $0.04 per $1,000 of value, minimum $1.00
Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (SMIP) fee, Group R: $0.13 per $1,000 of value, minimum $0.50
Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (SMIP) fee, non-R occupancies: $0.28 per $1,000 of value, minimum $0.50

What counts as project value

Local valuation table. Valuation is calculated with the DBI Cost Schedule (2022 edition, published January 1, 2023; unit prices per gross floor area) and represents the value at completion of all work, including finish, roofing, MEP and permanently installed equipment (SFBC 107A.2).

Worked example: a $350,000 new home

Building permit fee: $1,402.00 for the first $200,000.00 + $4.21 × 150 per $1,000.00 over = $2,033.50
Plan review fee: $4,011.00 for the first $200,000.00 + $13.31 × 150 per $1,000.00 over = $6,007.50
State-mandated fee (Building Standards Commission, BSASRF): $350,000.00 ÷ 1,000 × $0.04 = $14.00
Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (SMIP) fee, Group R: $350,000.00 ÷ 1,000 × $0.13 = $45.50
Total before trade permits: $8,100.50.

Fees people miss

May also apply (not in the totals above)

Lead safe work practices surcharge: when alteration permits for R3 (one/two-family) and E3 buildings constructed before 1979; $5.00 on the standard projects.

Fee	Amount
Plan review not covered in Table 1A-AWhen: plan review not covered by Table 1A-A	$602.00 per hour
Back check feeWhen: revisions / back check	$602.00 per hour
Pre-application plan reviewWhen: pre-application review requested	$602.00 per hour
Site permit feeWhen: site permit process	25% of Table 1A-A plan review fee
Premium plan reviewWhen: premium (expedited) review requested	50% of plan review fee plus $1,000
Reduced plan reviewWhen: when reduced plan review applies	50% of plan review fee
Third-party experts and other permit related actionsWhen: third-party review	actual cost, time and materials

How to apply

Gather your plans and your project's total value.
Submit to Department of Building Inspection.
Pay the permit and plan review fees when invoiced.
Questions: 628-652-3200 · 49 South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103

Source record

Effective: 2026-07-12
Verified: 2026-11-04
Issuer: Department of Building Inspection
Valuation: Local valuation table
Confidence: high

What this page does not cover (3)

Plumbing/mechanical (Table 1A-C), electrical (1A-E), inspection (1A-G), energy (1A-N) and hourly-rate (1A-D) tables not extracted
Development impact fees, Planning, Fire, Public Works and Public Health fees are separate and not extracted
The Table 1A-A header says '(1 of 3)' but the published PDF has 2 pages

Separate electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire, impact, utility and school fees are usually not included unless they are listed. BuildingPermitCost is not a government permit office, and this is not legal advice.

Report an error · How we verify fees

How San Francisco compares

A $25,000 remodel costs $1,429.18 in San Francisco: about 3.8 times the national median of $380.00, and the 17th highest of 43 places we cover in California (state median $1,263.01).

A $75,000 addition costs $2,817.50 in San Francisco: about 3.4 times the national median of $820.58, and the 21st highest of 45 places we cover in California (state median $2,473.00).

A $350,000 new home costs $8,100.50 in San Francisco: about 2.8 times the national median of $2,918.63, and the 20th highest of 47 places we cover in California (state median $6,927.50).

Same standard projects everywhere, including plan review and required surcharges. All California places · Compare side by side

San Francisco permit fee FAQ

How much is a building permit in San Francisco, CA?

A $25,000 remodel: $1,429.18. A $75,000 addition: $2,817.50. A $350,000 new single-family: $8,100.50. These include every fee the schedule applies to that project; trade permits are separate.

Is plan review included in the San Francisco permit fee?

No. Plan review is charged separately at its own fee table.

How does San Francisco determine project value?

Local valuation table. Valuation is calculated with the DBI Cost Schedule (2022 edition, published January 1, 2023; unit prices per gross floor area) and represents the value at completion of all work, including finish, roofing, MEP and permanently installed equipment (SFBC 107A.2).

When did these San Francisco fees take effect?

The schedule is effective Jul 12, 2026 (“Fees apply to all building permits issued on and after July 12, 2026”). We last checked it against the official source on Nov 4, 2026.